“It is not hard to understand modern art. If it hangs on a wall it’s a painting, and if you can walk around it it’s a sculpture.”–Tom Stoppard

The future tech news continues to be dominated by artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, and space commerce. Some of it is exciting, some of it is disturbing and some of it–well, I’m not sure what to think. When you read about an A.I. generated paiting fetching big bucks at auction, you just have to scratch your head.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Portrait of Edmund Bellamy, produced by A.I.

ArtficialIntelligence–An A.I. generated painting has sold for $432,000 at auction. Is this why A.I. developers get paid so much? Christie’s had estimated a value of between $7,000 and $10,000–which on the surface of it seems excessive in itself. Apparently, some people have more money than they know what to do with.

“To me–old age is always ten years older than I am.”–Bernard Baruch

“Wrinkles should merely indicate where smiles have been.”–Mark Twain

Ah, yes. I have attained the age at which I truly appreciate the comments of monsiuers Baruch and Twain. And I really appreciate the efforts of those who aim to keep senescence–and dentures–indefinitely in the future.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

“Teenagers who are never required to vacuum are living in one.”–Fred G. Gosman

Ah. Parenting author Fred Gosman has a good point. Maybe. But what would he do with a teenager who wants to live in a vacuum? This week’s lead story profiles the 17-year-old American girl who aims to literally do that–at least for the several months it would take her to get to Mars.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

“I could have gone on flying in space forever”–Yuri Gagarin

Move over, Buck Rogers. The U.S. administration wants to build a space force. With budget deficits approaching 10 figures, it could just be posturing–or wishful thinking. Elon Musk inisists he isn’t posturing on getting to Mars, though. He’s all over the space news this week–for a change.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

The Human Condition–Millennium Project CEO and State of The Future lead author, Jerome Glenn, says that we have done better than most people expected. He goes so far as to say, in this Seeking Delphi™ interview linked below, that “we are winning as a species.” He does acknowledge critical issues that could derail the trajectory of progress, however.

“I believe we are on the dawn of a new era in commercial space exploration.”–Elon Musk

Yeah, well, ol’ Elon would say that. His SpaceX venture is heavily invested and involved, both with NASA and other space faring concerns, and is somewhere between trying to colonize Mars long term and actually turning a profit, near term. But in the final analysis, what they seem to be locked into is a race with Boeing to launch the first commercial manned space vehicle, and thus get back to where NASA was over 50 years ago.

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

“Artficial Intelligence will reach human levels by around 2029.”–Ray Kurzweil

“There is no reason and no way that a human mind can keep up with an artificial intelligence machine by 2035.”–Gray Scott

Make no mistake about it. Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) is still a pipe dream. Nobody is exactly sure how to create it. But that doesn’t seem to discourage technology inventors like Ray Kurzweil and techno-philosophers like Gray Scott from their certainty that someone eventually will. I remain agnostic on the question; my role is to report on it, not to predict it. Who knows, maybe in a few years an A.I. will be able to predict itself. What comes first, the chicken or the A.I.?

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

While you’re reading about all this week’s future-related news, don’t forget that you can subscribe to Seeking Delphi™ podcasts on iTunes, PlayerFM, or YouTube(audio with slide show) and you can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook

Elon Musk’s The Boring Company won a bid to provide underground transportation from downtown Chicago to O’Hare international airport. According to Musk, the high-speed electric vehicle system should be completed within 3 years.